The handshake marked a charged reintroduction—one that no one else even realized was happening—causing Caitlin to straighten, ignore the lingering tingle in her palm, and smile. She was as ready as she’d ever be to share the stage with her ex-girlfriend.
Gemma’s final line had hit her like a punch to the gut. Her feelings from her own past seeped into the scene, engulfing Caitlin in emotional grief and crippling sensations that had flowed through her.
When the chemistry read was over, Caitlin watched as Gemma practically sprinted out of the room. She quickly thanked the team and gathered her things before she chased after her.
“Squish,” Caitlin said as she tried to catch up. The crampedhallways of the office building prevented her from breaking into a run, but she was moving as fast as she could go.
“Don’t call me that.” Gemma threw the angry words over her shoulder as she continued her power walk toward the exit.
Squish was a nickname that Caitlin had given Gemma back in high school when they began dating. After Gemma squeezed into the crook of Caitlin’s neck their first night together, the term just came out, and Caitlin hadn’t stopped calling Gemma that ever since. Clearly, old habits were hard to break, though.
“Gemma, please. Can we talk for a second?” Caitlin begged as she followed Gemma into the elevator. She had never been so grateful for the confined stainless-steel, forcing the two of them together.
Gemma stood in the corner, as far away from Caitlin as she could humanly manage within the space.
“What do you want?” Gemma crossed her arms as she glared forward, trying to avoid Caitlin’s eyes in the reflection of shiny silver metal.
Caitlin didn’t know where to start. She honestly never thought she would see Gemma again, let alone have the chance to speak with her. Her nose filled with Gemma’s familiar woody amber scent, stopping her brain from forming words.
Finally, she choked out, “How are you?”
Gemma scoffed. “Nine years and that’s the best you could come up with?”
Caitlin watched as the number above the doors counted down. “I didn’t expect to see you today. Here.”
“That makes two of us.” Gemma still hadn’t turned to acknowledge her since they had ended the scene.
The elevator doors slid open, and Gemma stepped out first. Caitlin didn’t let up and continued to stay on her heels as they reached the busy city sidewalk.
“Squish—sorry. Gemma.”
Gemma stopped short and finally looked at Caitlin, her eyes glassy. “That’s what you’re sorry for?”
“I didn’t know you were the new replacement, so it wasn’t exactly like I could have prepared a speech.”
“If you had known that I was the other actress, would you have come up with some big, grandiose apology?”
Caitlin had never felt so unprepared for anything in her life. “No, but Gemma, I’m really happy to see you. I was just shocked.”
Gemma’s hands were balled into fists at her side. “Shocked? What, you don’t think that I’m good enough for a movie? Across from the all-mighty Caitlin Stone.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, I’m not thrilled to see you, so if that’s all, I’d like to leave now. Please don’t follow me.”
Caitlin had dreamt endlessly about what it would be like if she ever ran into Gemma, but she had never accounted for this outcome. Maybe Caitlin had been naïve to think that seeing Gemma would be peaceful after all these years.
“Can we please just go somewhere and talk?”
Gemma snorted. “You’ve been silent since our sophomore year of college, and now you want to talk? Why, just because this twisted karmic universe threw us together again? No thanks.”
“I’m sorry.” Caitlin meant it, with every ounce of her being, but the words fell flat. Her heart sank, realizing that the damage she had done years ago may now be irreparable.
“A little late for that, isn’t it?”
“You’re right. You didn’t deserve what I did to you. But I’m here now, and I’m trying.”
“It’s not all about you. You can’t always get what you want. I know you’re probably not used to that these days. Goodbye, Caitlin.”
